After public disappointment with the official four-flag shortlist, a social media campaign was launched on 2 September that revived the flag's prospects and captured the attention of leading parliamentary figures both in government and opposition.

On 23 September, Prime Minister John Key announced the government had agreed to support Green Party legislation that would add Red Peak to the referendum ballot as a fifth (and the only non-fern inspired) option.

[2] According to its designer, the flag, which features a white chevron surrounded by red, blue, and black coloured triangles, eschews familiar New Zealand iconography such as the fern, koru, kiwi, and Southern Cross in favour of a "new" symbolic language.

The design, a simplified reference to the geometric elements of tāniko pattern as well as to the star tips of the current flag, represents the uniqueness of New Zealand's land, light, and position.

[8] Early tweets were followed by a blog post titled 'Dear John' written by Rowan Simpson which attracted significant online attention, and an opinion piece in The New Zealand Herald by journalist Toby Manhire.

[13] On 23 September, Green Party MP Gareth Hughes sought to introduce in Parliament a bill to add Red Peak to the first referendum as a fifth option; a block by New Zealand First was circumvented the same day when Prime Minister John Key confirmed the government would pick up the legislation.

The addition was estimated to cost taxpayers an extra $380,000, as informational materials on enrollment and voting that only featured the initial four alternatives had to be redesigned, reprinted, and retranslated to include Red Peak as a fifth option (no ballot papers had been printed).

[23] Furthermore, the white space between the colours recalls the maihi (diagonal bargeboards) on the front of a traditional Māori meeting house and symbolizes the "coming together" of all three cultures.